About the reserve

The reserve forms part of the Upper Wye Gorge SSSI, designated in 1989 and lies on either side of the track leading to King Arthur's Cave. The strip to the northwest of the track is part of an ancient woodland. The part of the reserve to the east of the track has a different history, with a cottage standing here in 1847; however the area became an industrial site in the middle of the 20th century. This has now become colonised by willow and birch. 

There is a good range of woodland plants present, including  some scarcer species such as yellow birds-nest, fingered sedge, broad-leaved helleborine and other orchids. Tree shading of rock exposures enabled colonisation by shade-loving ferns, like hart's tongue, black spleenwort, and a very local variety of maidenhair spleenwort. The whole site is rich in bryophytes including several nationally scarce species.

King Arthur's Cave is part of The Doward Living Landscape - click here for more information.